Roundtrip took almost half a day. Did I decide to buy? No, not yet. (want to get that question out of the way first
)
First off, the seller is a very nice guy. We spent close to an hour chatting as I examined the bike and kept asking questions. He let me ride it round the block.
Here are my findings:
- The bike is original all round.
- Nice patina. Paint looks original to me, if not, it's an awesome job!
- Gear shifting is smooth and effortless because of the Mod. Wow!
- Triple matching #s verified. Same key opens all the three locks.
- Sadly, IMHO, the motorcycle has taken a toll due to being in the beach/oceanside area for the last ~2 years.
- The bike has rust allover (see sample photos). Getting rid of rust is a project in and of itself.
- Plenty of oxidation on rims, spokes, front forks, rear shocks, engine casing, etc.
- Strong gasoline smell around the bike. I bet that if it is parked in a house garage, the whole area smells of gasoline in no time. Didn't see any obvious leaks.
- Thin oil coating at multiple places (not visible in the photos): oil pan under carriage, shaft-drive end points, black rubber elbow/hose that connects the carburetor to air filter, rear brake light switch, etc.
- Clutch jumpy: as I gently released the clutch when I took it for a spin, the clutch engages in one snap with a "clang" sound that's clearly heard and bike jumps somewhat, and it happened every time I released the clutch. Owner is aware of this, he asked me to give it some gas when that happens.
- This is interesting. During idling, duck quacking like sound is quite noticeable. Gary says that's how they sound by design and apparently there's a fix for it. Is that right?
- VDO Voltmeter is all over the place. The needle was jumping between 8- and 14-volts during idling. Hope it is not the alternator or the charging system. Owner says both VM and clock are original noting how snugly they fit, his guess is that since this was the last run, they used whatever parts they had. Same goes with Engine valve cover, it looks different from most other R90S.
- Front wheel is hard to turn by hand. Shouldn't it turn freely? Other "R90S" also exhibited the same behavior but that was lot harder to turn.
- Uneven wear on the front tire like 'cupping' in cars Wonder what's causing this? Both the tires must be replaced.
- Clearance between the footbrake pedal and the carburetor is narrow, whenever I released the pedal, my foot kept bumping into the bottom of the right carb.
- Both the grips on the handlebar are worn out. (no biggie)
- Lastly, if I decided to buy, he'll bring it to me on his trailer. He is eager to get rid of it. He has an older Police Harley that he wants to keep.
Where do I stand with this bike?
Honestly, the short ride I took the bike didn't excite me at all. To be fair, I took it around a block within the mobile home park. Given this the first time ever I've ridden a BMW,
felt it was loud and that's "normal" I suppose?
I like quieter ones and that's one of the reasons for me considering a BMW.
I don't want a rusty bike, and yes, this one can be restored after spending time and money. Also have to take care of overdue maintenance, oil leaks, jumpy clutch, and others I've listed above.
I'm still digesting all this.
Slight digression, I keep seeing R1100RS and RT late 90s to early 2000 models between 15k to 30k miles for around $4k. Again, I don't know anything about these models. Should I even be looking at these? My main criteria is a reliable motorcycle that's quieter and easy to service (DIY) and not having to take it to a dealer every time an error code shows up.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/d/ ... 51510.html
About ~4 weeks ago, when I started looking, a running R1100RS with 110k miles was offered for $1k as-is. The reason the seller stated is that he had to get rid of it in two days or so. I was so tempted but within no time someone gobbled it.
I'm grateful to all your inputs. Sorry for the long post.